Child&#39;s disposable toilet seat adaptor with side handles and front flap

ABSTRACT

A barrier comprised of a single sheet of inexpensive, disposable and foldable material, sufficient in width to rest upon the full-size toilet seat, with a central cutout sized and positioned so as to provide a smaller toilet seating surface to accommodate the buttocks of a toddler, and which is capable of supporting a child&#39;s weight as a result of such material&#39;s natural firmness, comprises a disposable toilet seat cover/adapter. Key innovative features include side handles and a front flap to secure the toilet seat in place.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to application Ser. No. 10/608,720.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to disposable child toilet seat adapters which facilitate a toddler's use of public and other unfamiliar toilets by providing a child-sized seating surface and also provide a clean seating surface.

For many, the prospect of using a public toilet is an unpleasant one. Thoughts of how many strangers have used the toilet before, and when and how well it was last cleaned, are enough to make some people do extraordinary things to avoid the experience. In addition, when a child needs to use the restroom, they generally can't wait. Exacerbating the foregoing general concern are the additional difficulties arising because public toilet seats are generally designed for adults, and children simply don't “fit” so well.

2. Description Of Prior Art

Most toilets, including most public toilets are designed for use by adults. Small children who are learning or have learned to use toilets must generally be held on or over the seat to be safe and stable. In addition to the size issue, the use of public and other unfamiliar toilets also involves the potential risk of infection, disease or contact with filth if the available toilet has not been cleaned adequately, or at all, since its last uses. This potential condition also suggests the need for some clean barrier between the user and the toilet. While products such as paper seat covers are often provided as a barrier from filth, they are designed to fit the adult-sized toilet. They do nothing to facilitate a small child's use of the toilet and provide little protection for a smaller child who is apt to move around. The tendency of such flimsy barriers to move and tear is undesirable and creates risks of contamination not present with a more stable barrier.

Several inventions have described disposable and non-disposable child or infant toilet seat adapters. These are identified and briefly described below:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,238 issued to Potts et. al. on Apr. 10, 1951 for “AUXILIARY TOILET SEAT”.

2. U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,244 issued to Wendel on Aug. 30, 1955 for “TOILET SEAT ADAPTOR”.

3. U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,070 issued to Alexander on Mar. 24, 1958 for “DISPOSABLE INFANT'S TOILET SEAT”.

4. U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,911 B2 issued on Nov. 5, 2002 to Weiss for “DISPOSABLE, COMPACT, PORTABLE TODDLER-SIZE TOILET SEAT PROTECTOR”.

The devices of the prior art suffer from either not being disposable, from involving set-up procedures which are too cumbersome or complex, from having inadequate means for keeping the device in place on the toilet, and/or from failing to provide a position for the toddler's hands, which would otherwise be inclined to grasp the sides of the toilet, which are potentially contaminated with filth.

In addition to the above prior art, the following patent was cited by the examiner in the related application:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 1,996,950 issued to Brooke on Apr. 18, 1935 for a “TOILET SEAT COVER”. Brooke's device is a paper liner intended to provide a sanitary seating surface for a toilet user. It does not and cannot serve the function of the current invention of providing an adapted seating surface for a small child, as paper is flimsy and has no weight-bearing capacity. If a child were to use a Brooke liner, he or she would not be secure on the toilet seat and would face the same risk of falling off or into the toilet with or without using the Brooke invention. Further, a fidgeting child sitting on a Brooke liner would easily displace or tear the liner and defeat its intended function. Thus, paper liners as described by Brooke would not have or suggest any utility in the context of adaptors for child use of toilets. Finally, the flap disclosed in Brooke is not easily placed under the toilet seat and requires significant manipulation and undesirable contact with toilet surfaces in order to situate it as disclosed, and is therefore an ineffective means to accomplish its intended purpose.

All of the above-referenced patents lack the concept of having one or more handles by which the child can firmly grasp onto the toilet seat to both be more secure, to occupy their hands so that they are not touching potentially germ-ridden surfaces, and to provide a means for removing the adaptor without touching toilet surfaces. In addition, none of these devices have a reliable way of assuring that the toilet cover will remain securely held on the toilet seat while the child is moving around on the toilet seat while seated thereon. There is a significant need for a new and improved disposable toilet seat cover with these improved features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a seating surface barrier comprised of an inexpensive, disposable and foldable material, sufficient in width to rest upon the full-size toilet seat, with a central cutout sized and positioned so as to provide a smaller toilet seating surface to accommodate the buttocks of a toddler, and which is capable of supporting a child's weight as a result of such material's natural firmness, comprises a disposable toilet seat cover/adapter.

In the preferred embodiment, the present invention is held in place by a front fold-under flap which is folded around and under the front of a hinged adult toilet seat so that such flap rests sandwiched between the underside of the adult seat and the top of the toilet rim. The weight of the child thus compresses the flap(s) and holds the seat adaptor in place.

The material comprising the device is of sufficient firmness that the front flap itself can be pushed and thereby wedged between the toilet seat and toilet rim without the need for the user to touch or otherwise come in direct contact with the toilet seat or any other toilet surface.

In addition, the preferred embodiment includes handles which provide a means for the child to grasp, thereby occupying the hands and limiting the temptation to touch surfaces of the toilet which might be contaminated with filth. In addition, the handle flaps have sufficient foldable edge surface in common with the seating surface so as to be stable in a front to back direction and thereby provide an additional means for the child to remain securely on the seat, and also provide a means to remove the adaptor from the toilet without the need to touch any toilet surface.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

The objects and advantages of the invention are:

-   -   (a) to provide an adapter-barrier means for a small child to use         an adult-size toilet;     -   (b) for such means to be light and easily transported;     -   (c) for such means to be inexpensive;     -   (d) for such means to be capable of being assembled or prepared         for use quickly and easily;     -   (e) for such means to be capable of placement on a toilet         without the need to touch any potentially contaminated toilet         surfaces;     -   (f) for such means to remain securely in position while in use;     -   (g) for such means to provide a position for the child's hands         so that there is little temptation to touch or grab exposed         parts of the toilet.     -   (h) for such means to be easily removed and disposed of after         use without the need to touch any potentially contaminated         toilet surfaces.

Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring particularly to the drawings for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, there is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a device of the present invention, consisting of a child seating surface, 1, cutout hole, 2, fold-under flap, 6, and Handle Flap, 7, with Handle cutout, 8;

FIG. 2 shows the present invention unfolded, with the various sections exposed;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the present invention situated on a toilet for use, showing the Front Fold-under Flap 6, situated between the toilet seat, 10 and toilet bowl rim, 12, vertical portion of fold-under flap, 4, and handle flap, 7; and

FIG. 4 shows the present invention positioned to facilitate use of the fold-under flap to wedge between the toilet seat, 10, and the toilet bowl rim, 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims.

Reference Numerals in the Drawings are as Follows

-   -   1. Adaptor seating surface     -   2. Cutout hole     -   3. Fold-down score line     -   4. Vertical portion of front fold-under flap     -   5. Fold-under score line     -   6. Front fold-under flap     -   7. Handle flap     -   8. Handle cutout     -   9. Handle fold-up score line     -   10. Toilet seat     -   11. Toilet seat spacer     -   12. Toilet bowl rim     -   13. Scored vertical fold line     -   14. Scored horizontal fold line

The preferred embodiment of the present invention in its unfolded state is illustrated in FIG. 2, and comprises:

A single piece of corrugated cardboard or other inexpensive, firm material, cut into a shape such as that shown, and scored, creased or otherwise adapted to fold along the dotted lines. By the cuts and folds, the piece is comprised of a seating surface, 1, of sufficient width to rest on standard-sized toilet seats, with central cutout, 2, sized for the smaller buttocks of a toddler.

The seat is anchored in place by a front, fold-under flap, 6, which is folded down along fold-down score line, 3, and then rearward along fold-under score line, 5, under the adult toilet seat, 10, such that the vertical portion of Front fold-under flap, 4, covers the front edge of the toilet seat, 10, and the front, fold-under flap, 6, is sandwiched between the toilet seat, 10, and toilet bowl rim, 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The present invention may be positioned for use without the user's hands coming in contact with the toilet seat, as follows. The device is held vertically, as shown in FIG. 4, with the front fold-under flap, 6, at the bottom, inverted and facing the front of the toilet and toilet seat, 10, at the level where the seat, 10, rests on the toilet bowl rim, 9. The front fold-under flap, 6, is then pushed into the space between the seat, 10, and rim, 12, and may also be used to slightly lift the seat, 10, to facilitate wedging the front fold-under flap, 6, between the toilet rim, 12, and the underside of the seat, 10, including any spacers, 11, on the underside of the toilet seat, 10.

Handles are provided by a handle flap, 7, with handle cutouts, 8, which are folded to a vertical position along handle fold-up score lines, 9, for grasping.

The present invention may be folded for storage and transportation in a variety of ways, and a scored vertical fold line, 13, and a scored horizontal fold line, 14, are provided in the preferred embodiment to facilitate such folding.

FIG. 1 shows the present invention in its folded position, ready for use.

FIG. 3 shows the present invention situated on a toilet, ready for use.

After use, the unit is removed from the toilet and discarded. The handle flaps, 7, may be used to remove the device from the toilet and discard it without touching any toilet surface.

Alternative Embodiments

In a first alternative embodiment, FIG. 5, the device includes the fold-under flap, but no handles.

In a second alternative embodiment, FIG. 6, the device includes handles, but no fold-under flap.

In a third alternative embodiment, FIG. 7, the device includes handles and, in lieu of the fold-under flap, a fold-down flap is provided which, because of the weight and firmness of the material, provides some stability.

In yet other alternative embodiments, the device in the preferred and alternative embodiments may be composed of extruded, molded or corrugated plastic or other inexpensive but firm, foldable material, rather than corrugated paperboard.

The front of the Cutout Hole, 2, can contain a flap that folds up to provide a splash guard, similar to that provided in Alexander, U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,070.

The unit may contain additional folds to reduce it's storage size and facilitate its packaging and transportation.

Of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.

The present invention has been described in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent laws by providing full public disclosure of at least one of its forms. However, such detailed description is not intended in any way to limit the broad features or principles of the present invention, or the scope of the patent to be granted. Therefore, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A child toilet seat adapter for use on a standard toilet having a toilet bowl, a rim on the toilet bowl and a toilet seat which, when in use, rests upon the rim of the toilet bowl, said toilet seat adaptor comprising: a. a seat portion having front, rear and side edges and being sufficient in width to rest upon the standard toilet seat with a central cutout sized and positioned so as to provide a smaller seating surface to accommodate the buttocks of a child; b. the adapter being made from a single sheet of foldable material which is capable of supporting a child's weight as a result of such material's natural firmness; c. a front fold-under flap located at the front edge of the adaptor, which, facilitated by one or more score lines, is folded down over the front face of the toilet seat and then under the toilet seat between the toilet seat and a toilet bowl rim; and said front fold-under flap being of a shape and design such that, when folded down and under the toilet seat, it does not occlude the central cutout opening and nevertheless extends under the toilet seat in such manner and for a sufficient distance so as to be sandwiched between the underside of the toilet seat and the toilet bowl rim at one or more place or places where the underside of the toilet seat would otherwise rest upon and contact the toilet bowl rim; and so sandwiched, the front fold-under flap will be compressed between the toilet seat and toilet bowl rim by the weight of the child seated on the adaptor, by which means the adapter is maintained in place on the toilet seat.
 2. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a. first handle extending upwardly along one lengthwise side edge of the adaptor, the first handle having a cutout opening; and b. a second handle extending upwardly along a second lengthwise side edge of the adaptor and parallel to said first handle, the second handle having a cutout opening.
 4. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said adapter is scored along its vertical centerline and its horizontal centerline so that it can be folded.
 5. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said adapter is disposable.
 6. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said adapter is made out of corrugated paperboard.
 7. A child toilet seat adapter for use on a standard toilet having a toilet bowl, a rim on the toilet bowl and a toilet seat which, when in use, rests upon the rim of the toilet bowl, said toilet seat adaptor comprising: a. a seat portion having front, rear and side edges and being sufficient in width to rest upon the standard toilet seat with a central cutout sized and positioned so as to provide a smaller seating surface to accommodate the buttocks of a child; b. the adapter being made from a single sheet of foldable material which is capable of supporting a child's weight as a result of such material's natural firmness; c. first handle flap extending upwardly along one lengthwise side edge of the adaptor, the first handle having a cutout opening; and d. a second handle extending upwardly along a second lengthwise side edge of the adaptor and parallel to said first handle, the second handle having a cutout opening.
 8. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 7, wherein the folding edges in common between the surface of the adaptor and each of the first and second handles are sufficient to provide stability in the direction of the common edge when the handles are grasped by a child.
 9. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 7, wherein said adapter is scored along its vertical centerline and its horizontal centerline so that it can be folded.
 10. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 7, wherein said adapter is disposable.
 11. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 7, wherein said adapter is made out of corrugated paperboard.
 12. A child toilet seat adapter for use on a standard toilet having a toilet bowl, a rim on the toilet bowl and a toilet seat which, when in use, rests upon the rim of the toilet bowl, said toilet seat adaptor comprising: a. a seat portion having front, rear and side edges and being sufficient in width to rest upon the standard toilet seat with a central cutout sized and positioned so as to provide a smaller seating surface to accommodate the buttocks of a child; b. the adapter being made from a single sheet of foldable material which is capable of supporting a child's weight as a result of such material's natural firmness; c. a front flap located at the front edge of the adaptor, which, facilitated by one or more score lines, is folded down over the front face of the toilet seat and toilet bowl, by which means the adapter is maintained in place on the toilet seat. d. a first handle extending upwardly along one lengthwise side edge of the adaptor, the first handle having a cutout opening; and e. a second handle extending upwardly along a second lengthwise side edge of the adaptor and parallel to said first handle, the second handle having a cutout opening.
 13. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 12, wherein said adapter is scored along its vertical centerline and its horizontal centerline so that it can be folded.
 14. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 12, wherein said adapter is disposable.
 15. A child toilet seat adapter in accordance with claim 12, wherein said adapter is made out of corrugated paperboard. 